When your care provider isn't supportive, knowing your rights changes everything

For anyone accessing maternity care via the NHS, there is a lottery of who you get on the day. It’s a tough reality. In case someone assigned to your birth is not supportive of your choices, here are a few of the advocacy techniques I prepare all my clients with.

Reflect back what you’ve just heard or experienced with this care provider

This can be done calmly and objectively, whilst also being firm about upholding your human rights. For example, I supported a birth and my client was told in triage she “had to” agree to a vaginal exam in labour before being admitted to the birth centre. In this instance I said “I understand that it is standard practise to offer a vaginal exam prior to admitting someone to the birth centre. My understanding is that patients have a right to personalised care and to decline elements of standardised care if they wish, is that correct?” This can be a powerful invitation to the clinician reflect on what they’ve just said.

Ask for the conversation to be documented in your notes

“I have declined a vaginal exam, please can you document that in my notes”. Asking for your decisions to be documented sets a boundary, if you don’t want to discuss it further you can state that. In instances where there is hasn’t been a proper commitment to gaining informed consent, there has been an attempt to coerce, when care offered is substandard or fails to meet national guidance, again this technique offers a simple and effective invitation to the clinician reflect on what they’ve just said.

Ask for an alternative clinician or a second opinion

A clear way to approach this is by stating the type of support you are expecting, e.g. - “I need a care team who are willing to offer individualised care, who will respect my choices, especially when I exercise my right to decline interventions which I don’t feel are appropriate for me”. That care provider may be there, waiting for a birther like you! Even if they are not, you have a right to an alternative clinician. You have laid your cards on the table and set out your expectations which hopefully will invite the clinician to reflect and change their approach.

This is why birth prep matters!

Knowing your options and rights fundamentally changes what's possible in birth. Have a chat with your birth partner about how you would like advocacy in your birth space to work. You deserve to own your birth experience.